WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week joined Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) in introducing the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2022. This legislation would prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition or tackle on public lands. This bill comes one week after the USFWS published a rule that prohibited the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle at certain wildlife refuges.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND:
“The federal government should not be implementing a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to hunting and fishing,” said Hoeven. “These activities are a treasured pastime in North Dakota and it’s important that federal overreach doesn’t hinder a sportsmen’s ability to participate.”
Senator Kevin Cramer, R-ND:
“I will continue to fight against needless bureaucracy, which would limit hunting and fishing opportunities for North Dakota’s sportsmen. This bill prohibits wildlife and land management federal agencies from banning the use of traditional, affordable lead ammunition or tackle on National Wildlife Refuges.”
In addition to Hoeven and Daines, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Dan Sullivan (R-Ala.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Earlier this year, Hoeven joined a Daines-led effort in urging USFWS Director Martha Williams not to cave in to activists’ calls to restrict the use of lead ammo and tackle on public lands.
